Document processing devices include printers, copiers, scanners and e-mail gateways. More recently, devices employing two or more of these functions are found in office environments. These devices are referred to as multifunction peripherals (MFPs) or multifunction devices (MFDs). As used herein, MFPs are understood to comprise printers, alone or in combination with other of the afore-noted functions. It is further understood that any suitable document processing device can be used.
Given the cost and complexity associated with purchasing and maintaining MFPs, customers often enter into dealer agreements for their devices. A dealer agreement may include leasing and servicing of devices. Costs may be calculated in any number of ways. One popular cost structure includes a per-page charge to the customer for printing, scanning, or faxing of documents. Accordingly, MFPs are typically monitored for usage by the lessee so that the leasing party the MFP can be billed appropriately for their usage. Monitoring is frequently done remotely, via a network connection to a dealer server.